1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to splash guards, and more particularly to a device designed to be used in conjunction with a rotary floor cleaning apparatus so as to prevent cleansing material or debris from being splattered onto walls and other surfaces adjacent to the surface being cleaned.
2. Description of Related Art
Standard floor polishing and cleaning apparatus typically utilize a single brush or a pair of rotary brushes mounted for rotation against a floor surface to be cleaned, polished or waxed. Due to the rapid rotation of the brushes, cleansing materials, as well as particles of debris, are frequently emitted from the brushes at a velocity great enough to spatter walls, furniture and other objects and surfaces. This is particularly undesirable, as the splattered area or objects then need to be re-cleaned, resulting in time consuming, unnecessary and inefficient work. In addition, the splattered material can stain or otherwise damage baseboards, furniture and the like.
Thus, there is a need for a specialized splash guard designed to prevent this undesirable splattering of material from the cleaning apparatus. Doersam U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,769 introduces a splash guard that consists of a vertical wall member shaped so as to completely but somewhat loosely surround the lowermost portion of the apparatus housing that supports the rotary brushes. An integral flange extends at right angles from one of the two edges of the wall member and the other of the two edges is notched so as to provide openings of a limited size. These openings are adapted to permit liquid to enter and leave the scrubbing area when the splash guard is in an operative position with the flanged edge up.
However, there are several problems that plague this splash guard. First of all, it has a rigid structure and shape, thus limiting it to use only in conjunction with cleaning apparatus of approximately the same shape and size. Secondly, the rigidity of the device makes the guard difficult to conveniently store between uses. In addition, the device is constructed of rigid plastic or the like that is susceptible to cracking or breaking under the strain of impact during floor operations.
Thus there is a clear need for an improved splash guard that overcomes these difficulties. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.